Chicago Transit Board
December 12, 2006
Thank you Chairman Brown.
Good morning.
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On December 1, we faced our first winter storm of the season.
Additional CTA personnel worked at rail yards, at stations and garages the night
before the storm hit to prepare the fleet and facilities to contend with the
predicted accumulation.
We maintained bus and rail service throughout an extended morning rush period
and crews worked from the early morning hours throughout the day to keep
facilities, platforms and bus turnarounds clear.
Two Com Ed power outages affected several CTA rail stations and the signals
for the trains which resulted in slower service along the Pink Line from 18th to
Western, and at the Roosevelt station on the Red Line.
The Red Line experienced two additional delays related to weather.
Throughout the storm, CTA buses operated at reduced speeds for safety and
despite a few minor weather-related accidents, overall buses maintained service
throughout while customers heeded the advice to allow extra travel time and
dress appropriately for the weather.
Along with other state and local agencies we will continue to monitor and take
appropriate action when severe winter weather is expected throughout the area.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the CTA staff who worked
throughout the storm to maintain service for our customers, I appreciate all of
your efforts.
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On December 2nd, I joined Mayor Daley to introduce the Mobile Security
Network pilot.
The Mobile Security Network is part of CTA’s continuing efforts to enhance the
safety and security of its system.
This state-of-the-art technology will allow CTA and emergency personnel to view
live images from CTA buses in order to more quickly understand the
circumstances taking place during emergency situations.
CTA’s entire bus fleet is equipped with security cameras. The cameras record
activity and store images that can be viewed later to assist with an investigation
of criminal activity if necessary.
The mobile security network pilot will make it possible to view those images live.
The vehicles used in the pilot have been equipped with antennas and a computer
system that attaches to the laptop, allowing the individuals inside to view images
on the laptop monitor.
The pilot vehicles need only be within 600 feet of a wireless transmitter in order
to receive images.
Additionally, because the system uses the same core fiber optic infrastructure
that streams live video to CTA’s Control Center from the security camera
network, the vehicles are also able to receive images from cameras at rail
stations.
The person will be able to view images while sitting in the vehicle.
More than 600 cameras have been installed at 35 stations with approximately
400 cameras at 23 CTA rail stations currently sending live images.
These cameras transmit live images to the Control Center and are linked to the
Office of Emergency Management Communications.
The digitized images also can be saved for later viewing. We will have more
than 1,000 cameras at 49 rail stations by the end of the year with more than 900
of those cameras linked to OEMC.
Cameras will be added at more stations as funding becomes available.
World events have demonstrated how security cameras can assist law
enforcement in apprehending criminals; but they also can serve as a deterrent to
crime.
To date, overall crime on the CTA has decreased by nine percent from the same
time period last year.
This pilot will help determine how the latest available technology can assist us in
our efforts to further improve safety and security for our customers.
The same fiber optic network used in the Mobile Security Pilot is also used in part
by the city’s Operation Virtual Shield, both of which use state-of-the-art
technology as a tool in improving public safety.
The safety and security of CTA’s customers is a top priority and we continue to
seek ways to enhance our security measures.
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Today’s agenda includes a request to approve a six-month extension of the
experimental service enhancements for the West Side and near western
suburbs.
A preliminary evaluation of the service enhancements during the initial
experimental period shows a 1.1 percent increase in bus ridership on the West
Side, and in October a 2.2 percent increase.
West Side/West Suburban rail ridership has increased 5.9 percent since the
service began, and 5.3 percent in October. Ridership on the 54th/Cermak branch
now known as the Pink Line has increased 7.1 percent and on the Blue Line
Forest Park branch has increased 7.4 percent since the service enhancements
were implemented in June.
In addition, CTA has conducted two customer surveys and the most recent
survey indicates that 82 percent of customers are satisfied with the route
enhancements. More than 7,800 customers participated in the surveys.
Pink Line customers account for 85.2 percent of riders on the branch.
More frequent service and the new route on the Pink Line has contributed to
ridership growth on the recently renovated line throughout the experimental
period and if the Board approves the extension of the experimental period it will
provide additional time to make some adjustments based on the feedback we
have had and continue to measure the performance of the service.
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We continue to move ahead on the Brown Line capacity expansion project.
On December 2, the Montrose and Addison stations closed temporarily for
construction to upgrade and extend platforms, rebuild the stationhouse and make
the station accessible to customers with disabilities.
The adjacent stations – Paulina, Irving Park and Damen – remain open during
this time so customers may continue to use them to access Brown Line service.
Both Montrose and Addison are located in areas where existing CTA service is
plentiful.
In addition to nearby rail stations, there are seven existing CTA bus routes that
provide service near Montrose station, and eight existing CTA bus routes provide
service near Addison station.
To update you on the project as a whole, the Kedzie and Rockwell stations re-
opened for service on August 16.
Work is continuing at the Kimball and Francisco stations which closed on
September 15. The Kimball station will re-open for service in January, and
Francisco will re-open in March, although construction work will continue at both
of those stations following their re-opening.
Construction is also in full swing at Belmont, Fullerton, Western, Chicago,
Armitage and Sedgwick.
In total, 18 Brown Line stations from Kimball to Chicago Avenue are a part of this
project. It is a huge undertaking and we appreciate the patience of our
customers and neighborhood residents and businesses as we rebuild the
stations while continuing to run service.
We are moving even closer to the project’s finish line and the benefits that this
significant investment will provide for the surrounding community and our
customers who will experience improved facilities, additional capacity on the line
and improved service.
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And now, as is customary, I have an update for the Board on ridership.
In October, 44.8 million rides were provided during the month, a decrease of 1.8
percent compared to October 2005.
Systemwide, ridership in October decreased by 1.9 percent on weekdays,
Saturdays decreased by 2.7 percent and Sundays remained flat with a slight
increase of 0.4 percent.
Year-to-date, CTA has provided 415.3 million rides, an increase of 0.4 percent
over last year at this time. On the year, ridership is up on weekdays and
Saturdays, but Sundays/Holidays are down by 0.5 percent.
The bus system provided 27.1 million rides in October 2006, a 3.0 percent
decrease from last year.
Weekdays were down 3.0 percent, Saturdays were down 4.3 percent, and
Sundays were down 1.5 percent.
Although on the year bus ridership is down 2.1 percent, from a systemwide
perspective feeder route and commuter-oriented services have shown increased
ridership in 2006, as have corridors that are part of the West Side/West
Suburban enhancement package.
The rail system provided 17.8 million rides in October, an increase of 1.2 percent
over last year. Weekdays were up 0.9 percent, Saturdays were up 1 percent and
Sundays were down 4.7 percent.
Ridership on the rail system is up 5.1 percent on the year.
October ridership was not as strong a month as normal.
As you know, two major fires at buildings near CTA rail structures occurred within
a two-day period and significantly impacted our service.
For customer safety following a fire at a building near the Ashland Green and
Pink Line station, we suspended service on both lines for several hours, and then
bypassed the Ashland station for two days.
The following day, another major fire in a building on South Wabash forced us to
suspend service on the Green and Orange Lines between Roosevelt and the
Loop, two of the rail systems strongest growth branches this year.
West Side rail ridership is continuing to grow and ridership on the Dan Ryan
branch of the Red Line is on an upward trend as the rehabilitation project winds
down.
We remain focused on our goal of posting ridership increases in eight of the past
nine years and we will continue our efforts to increase ridership by providing
service for our customers that is on time, clean, safe and friendly.
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In closing, as always, I thank the Board for supporting CTA’s mission of
delivering quality, affordable transit services that link people, jobs and
communities.
I thank you and this concludes my report.
President’s Board Report – December 2006
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